On Her Own
by LegolasGL619
Summary: Sequel to "The Fellowship of Ten" the god-awful story eveyone seemed to hate. I hope this is more popular with the readers
1. Waking Up

I woke up face down on the ground. My hair was full of leaves and all in my face. I wanted to get it away, so I could examine my surroundings. I tried to lift my left arm, but I found that my hands were bound. I was sore all over and didn't want to move, but I knew I had to. I mustered all my energy and rolled over. My back hit the ground hard and pain shot through my body. I looked around as the light met my eyes. As far as I could see, I was in the middle of a big pasture, surrounded by trees. I tried to sit up, but I couldn't. I looked to the right and saw Merry and Pippin, face down and bound. I laid back and tried to remember that I had been carried away by a band of orcs. The same band of orcs that had murdered my brother. Tears began to swell in my eyes upon recalling this , but I choked them back.   
  
Then, a thought crossed my mind; where were our captors? Had they dumped us here? Or were they around somewhere? That questions was answered soon . I opened my eyes and saw an orc looking straight down at me. He looked smaller and stockier, but looked like he was of the same race as the ones that had took me at the foot of Amon Hen. I showsd no emotion, I just stared straight into his eyes. He blinked, then looked over to the space behind me. I looked back as best as I could and saw the rest of his group. Seeing orcs in the daytime was still confusing to me, because I had always thought they were nocturnal.   
  
The orc above me called "UGLUK!" over to the group. I was now too scared to move, so I stayed still and closed my eyes. They spoke in their language back and forth for a bit. Their got a bit heated after awhile.   
  
I opened my eyes and saw the two standing over me. Then, the one I presumed was Ugluk, spoke to me in the common tongue. "Sit up!" he commanded. He kicked me up with his hard foot. After, my back hurt more than before. My head was spinning. "Halfling, What is your name?" he asked. He crouched next to me and took my chin in his hand. He turned my head towards his face. He was filthy and reeked of deaqd flesh and waste. It disgusted me to look at him. I kept my mouth shut and didn't respond to his question. He began to look mad at me. "One more time, halfling, what is your name?"  
  
"I will not say. You have no need for it," I said indignantly.   
  
"WHAT IS YOUR NAME?!?!?" he yelled about 2 inches from my face. His nails dug into my chin . I grimaced in pain, and answered the same the best I could. He roared in rage and let go of my chin. As soon as he did, he reached his left hand over and slapped me hard across my face. I fell backwards and hit the ground with a thud. My cheek and jaw were now throbbing with pain. I feebly reached up with both of my hands and rubbed my cheek. I felt something warm against my hand. I took it away and looked at it. Blood was schmeared across the back of my hand and wrist. "You'll see, sooner or later, that I will find out your name. Especially when the treatment gets worse." He turned to the other orc and order something to him in their language. He stormed off, back to their main group.   
  
The remaining orc looked down at me and grinned, showing his green, decaying pointed teeth. "Are your friends awake?" he asked in a raspy harsh tone.   
  
"I do not know," I replied.  
  
"They will be now." He walked over to Merry's small frame and nudged him gently with his foot. When he didn't wake up, the orc drew back his foot and brought it down hard into his stomach. Merry and I yelped at the simultaneously; his was in pain, mine was in disbelief.   
  
He doubled up in pain. "OOOOWWWW…. What'd you do that for?"  
  
"Wake up. We are leaving soon… halflings." The orc walked over to Pippin. "Is this one awake? Or shall I give him the same morning announcement?" he sneered.   
  
"NO NO! We'll wake him. We'll all be ready," Merry and I said at the same time.   
"Alright. I'll be back," he began to walk away. He suddenly turned around and proclaimed, "I don't think I should trust you two." And as swiftly as he did before, he drew his foot back again and plummeted it into the sleeping heap that was Pippin. Pippin screamed. "Be ready," he warned, "you have a lot of traveling to do." And with that, he turned and walked off.   
  
Pippin was still coughing and gagging, crumpled in a ball. As soon as the orc had gotten a good enough distance away, I scooted over to Pippin. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry that I cannot do anything ," I choked out as I begin to sob. I felt so helpless, for the first time in my life.   
  
"It's not your fault Erin. You cannot control any of this," Merry said.   
  
After a short silence, Pippin spoke up. "I'm sorry about Boromir. I know how much he meant to you . He died saving us, yet we did nothing to aid him. I feel guilty."   
  
"He died saving you, so he did not die in vain. Please do not feel guilty," I said with reassurance. At that point, I felt a burst of strength rush through me, and suddenly, I felt more at peace with Boromir's death.  
  
"Does Aragorn know where we are? Does anyone know where we are?" Merry asked.   
  
"I do not know. But if they do, I'm sure they will come. They might still be with Frodo. He needs them more than we do," I said.   
  
"I hope they come. I'm afraid of what these things will do to us," Pippin stammered. He shivered and looked back at the main group about 30 feet away.   
  
"It will be okay. We'll get out, I promise," I assured them. I tried to use my newly gained strength, for Merry and Pippin's sake. The leader, Ugluk approached our group. We immediately went silent and stared straight at him.   
  
"Are you ready now halflings?" he asked, and I could tell by his tone that he was still mad.   
  
"No," I said very politely. Abruptly, he reached down and grabbed me by the back of my shirt collar and lifted me off the ground. He brought my face to his . My feet were at least a feet off the ground. I began to choke.  
  
"Now will you tell me?" he growled into my face. I wriggled around, trying to get a breath of air.   
  
"Erin," I choked. He slammed me down, back to where I was. My head hit the ground hard. The surrounding landscape got blurry.   
  
"Not as strong-willed now, are we little one?" he snickered. Those words, little one, I had liked before, but now they made me shudder. "We are leaving. And this time, you get to walk." 


	2. The Death Sentence

It seemed like we walked forever. My body was still sore from all the fights and beatings I had suffered in the days past. Merry, Pippin and I walked side by side, and were encircled by 6 orcs. We trudged along silently, not wanting to disrupt anything.   
  
We all stopped at nightfall. We were isolated from the rest of the group, with the exception of a few guards. Pippin fell asleep as soon as we got there. I wished to do the same, but I stayed awake to examine the surroundings . We were in the middle of another field. The orcs had started campfires and some had gone to find food in the forest.   
  
I put my hands over my knees and put my head down. I thought about my home and my family, whom I missed greatly. Then my mind went to Boromir. I felt a tinge of guilt over his death. I wished I would have been able to help him more, or at least been with him during his final moments, and been able to say goodbye to the brother I loved dearly. Then I thought about my current situation. What were they going to do with us? Why hadn't they captured anyone else? I pondered these questions, then I thought about something these orcs kept saying. They kept calling us halflings. Merry and Pippin were halflings, but I wasn't. It seemed strange to me.   
  
Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by Merry's voice. "Erin! Look!" he whispered loudly. I looked up to where he was pointing and saw hundreds of tiny pricks of light coming through the forest towards us. I rubbed my eyes and squinted, trying to make out what they were. Finally, I realized they were orcs.   
  
"Merry, wake Pippin," I said. Merry scooted as close as he could to Pippin and nudged him. He stirred, looked up groggily.   
  
"I was enjoying that nap, thank you," he said matter of factly. Merry shushed him and quietly said, "look." He pointed in the direction of the incoming orcs.  
  
"Oh dear," was all Pippin managed to get out. I wanted to be able to face these newcomers, so I laid down and shut my eyes. I couldn't find slumber, for the pain in my wrists and feet was too great.  
  
"Get ready, I have a feeling we're going to be in for a long journey," I said. A few moments later, I felt a poke on my back. I feebly pushed myself up and looked back at the two hobbits.   
  
"Erin, can we ask you a question?" Pippin asked.  
  
"Of course," I replied.   
  
"Do you miss Boromir?" he said somberly.   
  
"If you really want to know, I feel as if a huge piece of me has been stolen and I know I will never get it back." I could feel the tears coming to my eyes.   
  
"Sorry," Merry said. I waved my hands as an indication of his question being okay. "Where was Frodo going?" Merry said after a long pause.   
  
"Huh?" I said as I looked up at them.   
  
"He was leaving, after we ran up to the forest. We told him to wait, but he just kept going," Pippin concluded.  
  
"Alone?" I said. I was shocked that we had left him all alone in such a dangerous time. Then, I wondered if something happened to Aragorn, or Gimli, or even worse; to Legolas. Panic and worry flooded back into my head when thought of the terrible things that could have happened to them. I looked up, and saw Ugluk came to where we were being held. With him were a couple orcs I had never seen before. They were not like the orcs that had imprisoned us, they were normal ones. They were speaking in the common tongue and I overheard a bit of the conversation.  
  
"…We saw hoof prints not far from here. They are close, we must be wary," one of the normal orcs said.   
  
"We do not fear them. They know nothing of fighting. Just of horses," Ugluk snorted back. The other orcs shrugged and continued to grunt forward. Once I heard that, I knew who they spoke of. They spoke of the Riders of Rohan, allies of my land. Then I gathered that we were in Rohan, and most likely on our way to Isengard. The orcs approached us.   
  
"Here they are," Ugluk boomed as he came upon us.   
  
"You said they were halflings, right?" asked one of the normal orcs.   
  
"Yes, they are," Ugluk responded, "Brahzlog said so. He claims to have seen them before."  
  
"As have I, the girl is no halflings. The other two are, but the is too tall and stout," he said. He looked at me, and looked back to Ugluk. "Can't you tell? She is twice the size of the other ones. You said that you only wanted halflings, no others." Once he revealed this information, I got worried. What were they to do to me now? I began to sweat under this examination. The orc ordered something in their language to another orc. All the while, Ugluk stared at me and looked completely confused. The orc that received the order walked over and grabbed my arm. He yanked me up to my feet. He kept a hold of my elbow. The orc that had done most of the talking as of now, turned to Ugluk and asked, "what is her name?"   
  
"Erin, but that's all she'll say. Don't bother asking questions. She's too stubborn," he replied. The orc approached me and look me up and down. "Rahzluk, don't bother. She'd rather have the answers beaten out of her." Yes, that was true, yesterday. Today, to spare myself, I'd answer anything. He sneered in my direction. I stood plain faced, not knowing what would happen next. Rahzluk came to my face.  
  
"Are you a halfling? You do not look as if you are one," he growled.  
  
"I am not," I replied. My wrists were aching from my bindings. Rahzluk turned to Ugluk.   
  
"WHAT DID SARUMAN TEACH ANY OF YOU!?!?!" he rebuked him.  
  
Ugluk scoffed, "they took her because she defended the halflings. They do not know any better."  
  
Rahzluk turned back to me. "Well, then. Where are you from?" he looked me up and down again, "because very clearly you are not a halflings, elf or dwarf."  
  
"I am of Gondor, and I am daughter of Denethor the Second, Steward of Gondor. And mark my words, if anything happens to me, and my father finds out , you'll be sorry," I stated boldly.   
  
"Galdlel, take her to the woods and slit her throat. Her mouth is too big for her own good," Rahzluk ordered. I stood strong, but my heart sunk in my chest. One of the other orcs came over and grabbed my bound wrists. It was a smaller than I and was slimy and wrinkly.   
  
He turned me around, towards Merry and Pippin. They had tears running down their cheeks . I mouthed "don't worry, I'll be back for you." Galdlel pushed me and I tripped over my feet. I fell to my knees hard. Galdlel stumbled behind me, but regained his footing. He pulled me back up and pushed me forward. I marched off to my certain doom with my head held high. 


	3. Rescue From the Bitter End

We got down to the forest as slowly as I could make him go. I was trembling the whole way and felt as if my knees were going to give. Anything I could do to keep from going into the forest. I started to tear. The tears burned my cheeks as they fell.   
  
We reached the forest in moments, yet it seemed like an eternity. We approached a huge boulder covered with mud and moss. There was a carpet of leaves underneath our feet and their crunches were the only sound that was being made.   
  
Galdlel stopped and so did I. "Get down!" he ordered fiercely. He pushed me and I fell to my knees. A feeling of dread rushed through me as I realized in a moment, I would be lying dead on the forest floor. I heard Galdlel unsheathe his sword. "So, you are from Gondor?" he asked me in almost unintelligible common speak.   
  
"Yes," I spoke solemnly. Then I closed my eyes and welcomed the end.   
  
"Now you will join all of your kinsfolk that I have killed. I will enjoy this so much." The tears that ran from my eyes heavily, thinking about all the relatives and friends I would not get to say goodbye to, and the homeland I would never see again.   
  
A hard crunch on the leaves came from behind us. Galdlel stopped. I was too scared to look back, so I continued to face forward. He shrugged it off. His knife came around from back and pressed against my throat. It was cold and gave me a shudder. The tears swelled more.   
  
He brought his mouth down to my ear. His breath was hot and sticky against my neck. "Say your prayers, sssswwweetie," he hissed. He stood up straight, and put a little more pressure on the knife. Then, I heard him gasp and the pressure on my neck loosened. The sword dropped into my lap, and I instantly breathed a sigh of relief, but wondered hat happened to him. I heard him then make a squeaking sound and then leaves crunched under him when he fell on the ground. I turned to see what had happened and discovered a man standing there. He was clad all in armor. His sword had blood dripping from it. Galdlel was lying at his feet and his throat was slit   
  
The man spoke, "let me see your bindings." He wiped off his sword with gloved hand. I raised up my hands and he easily cut them off. "Come with me, we must go." He offered his hand down to me. I took it and got up. Strangely, I trusted him.   
  
"My friends are still back there with the orcs. I promised I would go back for them," I said.   
  
"We have no time. Quickly, follow me!" he called back.   
  
"NO! My companions are still back there! I gave my word!"   
  
"I will get them later," he turned and began to run.   
  
"Where are we going?" I called to him, for he already seemed miles away.   
  
"We are headed to where the rest of my men are. There," he jumped over a fallen log, "I will find out more about you. I'm busy at the time being." We began running faster through the forest. My legs still ached, but I didn't say anything because I didn't want to seem weak. The man had long blonde hair that flowed behind him as he ran. I kept sight of that to keep him in view through the thick brush. All of a sudden, he stopped. I ran into his back and almost knocked him over.   
  
"My men are here. Hold on, I don't want them to attack us." He gave a sharp whistle. It was answered with an identical whistle. He signaled me forward . We walked through the brush and into a huge alcove in the forest. It was filled with horses, maybe a hundred or so, all outfitted for riding. They were in every color imaginable. Never had I seen so many horses in one place.   
  
I followed the strange rider through the maze of horses to a small campground. Many men were gathered around tiny fires scattered here and there. Their turned to look at us as we walked through we stopped at the end of the camp ground and went to an unoccupied fire.   
  
"Sit down here. I must ask you a few brief questions. He sat across from where I stood and crossed his legs. I did the same, and rubbed my wrists. It felt good to have the bindings off.   
  
"May I ask your name?" he asked.  
  
"I am Erin, daughter of Denethor the Second, Steward of Gondor," I replied.   
  
"Gondor? What brings you up here, to the lands of your allies? In the hands of orcs no less."   
  
"My brother and I were traveling with a company. A company of ten. Our group was attacked at the foot of the watchtower of Amon Hen. I was captured by these orcs," I put my hands by the fire to warm them.  
  
"What became of your companions?" the man asked.   
  
"Wait, before I answer that, who are you?" I asked.  
  
"Sorry ma'am. I am Eómer, Third Marshal of the Mark of Rohan. Now, it's your turn," he replied.   
  
"I was taken captive, along with two halflings, by the names of Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. My brother, Boromir, was slain by these things. As for my other companions, I know not of what became of them. But I fear the worst." My thoughts drifted back to Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, Frodo and Sam.   
  
Eómer snapped me back to the matters at hand. "You said earlier that it was a company of ten. So that makes six unaccounted for?" he asked.   
  
I thought about what I had said. "Only the whereabouts of five are unknown to me. Another of our companions, Gandalf the Grey, fell into darkness on our journey."  
  
Eómer frowned. "Though some of his actions were not well liked around here, we held Gandalf in great esteem. The news of his demise beings me great sorrow," he said glumly.   
  
"Eómer!" called a voice behind me. Eómer looked up from our conversation  
  
"Aye! Westol! Over here!" he shouted, "are the men ready?"  
  
"Yes sir. Now would be a most opportune time to attack, the orcs are mostly asleep," the man answered. He was dressed the same as Eómer, yet not as regally.   
  
Eómer turned to me. "Erin, we must go. I promise I will get your friends for you, if they are there. For now, stay here, rest eat, whatever you need to do. Do not leave though, it might prove harmful." He stood up, dusted himself off and left with Westol. I immediately looked for food and found some bread and ate that. After that I fell fast asleep, next to the fire. 


End file.
